In Fairhaven, Selectman, School Committee races already contested

FAIRHAVEN — Though nomination papers are not due until Feb. 11, Fairhaven residents can already look forward to two contested races for town office this spring.

ARIEL WITTENBERG

FAIRHAVEN — Though nomination papers are not due until Feb. 11, Fairhaven residents can already look forward to two contested races for town office this spring.

Current Board of Selectmen Chairman Brian Bowcock has already filed papers to run for re-election in the April 1 town election and challenger Geoffrey Haworth, who now sits on the Board of Public Works, has also filed for the three-year seat.

Three candidates have also already filed papers for two available School Committee seats. Committee members Bernard Roderick and Stasia Powers will be challenged by to special-needs advocate Diane Hahn.

Haworth, who took out nomination papers to run for selectman last year and decided against running before they were due, said he is running this year because he sees a "need for change on the board."

"I have a different approach than (Bowcock); I think it's very important to have what we call open government and having people of the town speak out about what they want, regardless of whether you agree with them," Haworth said.

Specifically, Haworth said he thought the board needed to be better about listening to community members who had problems with the town's two wind turbines.

"I think these situations can be better handled," he said.

Bowcock said he believes his 25 years of experience (including 13 years on the Finance Committee before serving for 12 years on the Board of Selectmen) will be an asset in the election.

"I have put a lot of time and effort into town government," he said. "You can't serve as long as I have without making some people mad at you, or without making everyone mad at you at some point, but I do what I see as best for the town."

School Committee veteran Powers, who will run for her third term, said the budget will be her biggest priority if she is re-elected. "It has always been the forefront of what the committee has to concentrate on," she said.

Roderick, also running for re-election on the School Committee, agreed.

"We have a good team working at our schools and I want to make sure they have the resources to do what they are doing," he said.

School Committee challenger Hahn, who has two special needs sons who attend Fairhaven schools, said she will try to bring more attention to special needs.

"I don't want people to think that I am a one-issue candidate," she said. "Special needs is not a one-issue thing. ... All of the issues need to have this perspective included in the decision-making."

Other elected town officials who have filed nomination papers include: Town Clerk Eileen Lowney, Board of Health member Peter DeTerra, Housing Authority Committee member Jimmie Oliver and Planning Board member Kaisa Holloway Cripps.

Mark Badwey, former Finance Committee member, has filed papers to run for Commissioner of Trust Funds left to the town by Henry Huttleston Rogers.

"I have a finance background and saw it was vacant and no one else was running for it," he said. "I figure someone's got to do it."

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